01/20/24

Happy Saturday!

🗽 Bernie Wagenblast, the voice of the New York subway, came out as a trans woman last year. She recently spoke to The Advocate about living her authentic life and her journey to thriving in trans euphoria. “I hope by telling my story that I can help others feel less isolated, and also educate those who hate or don’t understand or are willing to learn about what life is like for us,” she said. “I’m proud to be a part of so many millions of New Yorkers’ everyday life, just by being a voice that they hear in the subway station. And now that they know this aspect of my life, they perhaps will see trans people somewhat differently.” Read her full interview here. 🏙️

🍼 On Friday, GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida tweeted, “Pete Buttigieg got maternity leave and I didn’t. And he’s a dude. It’s time Congress gets with the times.” Pete's husband, Chasten, didn't take too kindly to the post. He told The Advocate that he's glad Congress is taking steps to provide better parental leave policies for lawmakers, but it's too far (and homophobic) to bring his family up like that. Check out what else Chasten had to say.

✨ A father of a transgender boy took some Missouri officials to task recently as the state proposes a number of anti-trans bills. "The hard part — I mean it — the only hard part we have experienced is you all. The only hard part of having a trans kid is this sense that my government just won't leave us alone. That we have to come back here again and again and fight just for his basic human dignity," Rabbi Daniel Bogard said. Tell 'em. ✨

In other news:

Onward and upward,

Alex Cooper

The voice of the NYC subway and her journey to trans euphoria

Courtesy Bernie Wagenblast

Chasten Buttigieg slams Florida Republican's comments about Pete's parental leave as homophobic (exclusive)

Via Shutterstock

Wyoming school principal axes antibullying play over gay character

Shutterstock

Lesbian Toni Atkins announces run for California governor in 2026

Shutterstock

Phoenix trans Latina woman Kitty Monroe run over and killed by a truck

Photo: Courtesy Lugo Family via The Arizona Republic

A father emotionally defends his transgender son against Missouri lawmakers

footage via threads @therecount

Billie Jean King sends birthday love to 97-year-old 'A League of Their Own' inspiration Maybelle Blair

Shutterstock

Look, the answer!

Each week, The Advocate newsletter has a little bit of LGBTQ+ trivia. Tuesday, you'll get the question. Thursday, you'll get a hint. And today, you'll get the answer.

This week's question was: What state reportedly has the most LGBTQ+ people?

This week's answer is: Oregon! According to a recent Williams Institute report, Oregon has the most queer people in comparison to its overall population. The state's 253,300 LGBTQ+ residents comprise 7.8 percent of its population. Tina Kotek, who is a lesbian, is the current governor. She succeeded Kate Brown who is bisexual.

🎉 Congrats to Robert and Jett for getting it right! 🎉

Reply to this email with some queer trivia we should know and you may get a shout-out in a future newsletter!

🫖 Tea time 🫖

Pope Francis is back in the news and the trending topics this week, announcing that sexual pleasure is a gift from God but lust and pornography should be avoided. This follows his recent statements approving blessings for same-sex couples, though gay marriage is still considered a sin by the Catholic Church. Some consider these actions to be important steps forward, while others say it's too little, too late for the Church. What do you think? Continue the conversation by emailing us at social@advocate.com.